Kovtun Maksim Olegovich

In Kirov, no later than November 2013, a criminal case was opened against Maxim Kovtun. He was accused of committing acts aimed at inciting hatred and enmity, as well as humiliating the dignity of a group of persons based on race, nationality, language, and origin. According to the investigation, at night on 25 July 2011, Kovtun posted a graphic file on the social network VKontakte, the content of which was aimed at inciting national hatred and enmity. There is no information about the measure of restraint. 2 April 2014, the Novo Vyatka District Court of Kirov found Maxim Kovtun guilty. He was sentenced to 9 months of correctional labor with a 20% deduction of earnings for the state. The verdict was not appealed and entered into legal force. In 2024, another criminal case was opened against Kovtun—he was accused of inciting hatred and enmity using mass media, as well as publicly displaying Nazi symbols and paraphernalia of the banned "Azov" regiment in Russia. According to the investigation, on March 26 and July 9, 2024, Maksim Kovtun, being a neo-Nazi adherent, publicly displayed a neck tattoo in public places in Kirov. According to the expert conclusion, the drawing in the form of the symbol 'Wolf's Hook' ('Wolfsangel') is Nazi symbolism used by SS units, and currently used by the 'Azov' regiment. There is no information about the measure of restraint. On December 19, 2024, the Leninsky District Court of Kirov found Maksim Kovtun guilty and sentenced him to 1 year of corrective labor in a correctional center with a 10% deduction from his salary to the state budget monthly. The verdict was also not appealed and entered into legal force.